Theater Critic Picks

These are the 12 can't-miss shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for July

Get ready for some ringside action at Lucha Teotl.

Photo courtesy of Prism Movement Theater

If the words "immersive theater" light your fire, then July is your month to go out and explore. And if that phrase makes you cringe, well, there are still plenty of other options — both live and streaming — for you to enjoy.

In order of start date, here are 12 local shows to watch this month:

Br'er Peach
Bishop Arts Theatre Center, streaming through July 17
Inspired by Southern African-American and Japanese folktales and playwright Andrew Saito’s multicultural family, this radio play follows Momotaro, a magical Japanese boy born to an elderly Black couple after an encounter with a power-filled peach. While his mother Vonda resists the encroachment of a billionaire ogre's capitalist mega-corporation, Momo wanders the wilds of Georgia, meeting animal friends and foes along the way.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised]
Shakespeare Dallas, through July 24
Written by the Reduced Shakespeare Company and directed by Raphael Parry, this play has three actors parody Shakespeare’s entire library of plays in comically shortened form. The performance features Ryan Matthieu Smith, Marti Etheridge, and Shawn Gann.

Goat Song
Second Thought Theatre, streaming July 2-17
The beauty of art is that it captures the present moment and preserves it. But what happens when an artist moves on from the art they create? Marcus is back with new music, but it soon becomes clear that his fans miss the old music, made by a man who no longer exists. Written for a COVID-facing world and set during a Facebook Live Concert, Matt Harmon's play stars STT director of operations Drew Wall.

Family Dollar
Artstillery and Nasher Sculpture Center, July 2-31
The first offsite Nasher Public project, Family Dollar is the result of Artstillery's last five years of working with the residents of West Main Street, a tiny neighborhood with a long history in West Dallas. It's an extensive archiving effort that includes documentary film; architectural preservation; and live, immersive, oral history-based performances. The performances are outdoors, taking place in three interpretive shotgun homes, and visitors are encouraged to walk around the buildings and follow several stories as they unfold simultaneously.

Working: A Musical
Dallas Theater Center, July 7-18
Based on Studs Terkel’s bestselling book, this unique musical features the real-life words of average working Americans, set to music by a diverse collection of extraordinary storytelling songwriters. Through original songs by Stephen Schwartz, Lin-Manuel Miranda, James Taylor, and others, Working lifts up the voices of teachers, waiters, truck drivers, and the essential workers who often go unnoticed but whose work uplifts our lives day in and day out.

When Pigs Fly
Uptown Players, July 9-25
Uptown is making its return to live performance with the first show it ever produced: Howard Crabtree, Mark Waldrop, and Dick Gallagher's backstage musical. In a hastily booked theater under renovation, Howard struggles to put on a lavish musical revue over numerous obstacles, including the near-mutiny of his cast and the nagging memory of his high school guidance counselor who told him he'd succeed "when pigs fly."

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
WaterTower Theatre, July 14-31
15-year old Christopher is an extraordinary boy with an extraordinary brain who lives with his dad in a working class town west of London. When Christopher finds himself under suspicion for the murder of a neighbor’s dog, he becomes determined to solve the mystery. This regional premiere is a Tony-winning Best Play from 2015 and is based on Mark Haddon’s bestselling novel of the same title. The production will also be available to stream July 21-31.

Lucha Teotl
Prism Movement Theatre, July 15-24
This bilingual show follows a young rambunctious male luchador who teams up with a more experienced female luchador to gain the championship title. Dallas Theater Center company member Chris Ramirez and Prism artistic director Jeff Colangelo wrote and directed this show, which is an immersive experience that places the audience ringside.

Committed: Mad Women of the Asylum
Cry Havoc Theater Company, July 22-August 1
Presented in the historic Southside on Lamar building in its basement art gallery, Cry Havoc’s first fully immersive production invites audience members to move freely through a surreal Victorian world, hearing an original story built from first-person accounts from women who were wrongfully institutionalized in the late 1800s.

Cursed!
Ochre House Theatre, July 22-August 3
Written and directed by artistic director, this brand-new original show is a collaboration with the Dallas Flamenco Festival and is to be performed at Eight Bells Alehouse. It's a down and dirty musical about the Biblical prophet, Enoch, and the Watchers, angels sent by God to teach mankind the ways of life.

Me and Jezebel
Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas, July 23-August 7
On May 28, 1985, star-struck Elizabeth Fuller's dream came true when the legendary Bette Davis came to dinner at her Connecticut home. Four weeks later, as the hotel strike in New York dragged on, she was still there. This is an intimate, funny, and true story of a Hollywood legend coming face-to-face with her most ardent fan.

Southern Boys: Sons of Sharecroppers
Jubilee Theatre, July 29-August 29
The beginning of America's historic post-slavery era comes alive through the eyes of emancipated slaves and their free children, with all its jubilant excitement as well as its debilitating realities. Following the live production, Jubilee will offer a streaming version on it website August 16-29.

theater

RIP, Irma

Dallas actress and 'Soul Food' star Irma P. Hall passes away at 91

Courtesy photo

Irma P. Hall

Dallas actress and longtime resident Irma P. Hall, best known for playing Big Mama Jo in the 1997 film Soul Food, died Tuesday, November 10, surrounded by loved ones, according to an announcement from her family. She was 91.

Hall built a nearly five-decade career in film, television, and theater, earning an NAACP Image Award for Soul Food and a Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for her performance in The Ladykillers.

"Her commanding presence and remarkable ability to bring depth and authenticity to every character made her one of Hollywood's most respected and recognizable character actresses and a cultural icon," her family says in a statement.

Before becoming a familiar face on movie screens, Hall spent more than 20 years teaching English and foreign languages in Dallas public schools. She maintained her ties to her native Texas throughout her Hollywood career.

Born Irma Dolores Player on June 3, 1935, in Beaumont, Hall grew up in Chicago before returning to Texas to attend Texas College in Tyler. Her path to acting began unexpectedly when actor and director Raymond St. Jacques discovered her talent during a poetry reading in Dallas, her family says.

She made her film debut in Book of Numbers in 1973, launching a second career that would take her from Dallas stages to Tinseltown sets.

Hall became widely recognized for her portrayal of Big Mama Jo in Soul Food, the 1997 film about a close-knit family whose Sunday dinners bring generations together. She starred alongside stars Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long, and Michael Beach.

"One of the most iconic mother roles in film history, "A Song for Mama" by Boyz II Men was written and produced by Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds, specifically centering on Irma P. Hall's character in Soul Food," the family statement says. "Decades after its original release, this song is still one of the most popular and enduring Mother's Day anthems of all time."

Hall's other credits included A Family Thing (1996), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), Beloved (1998), Patch Adams (1998), The Ladykillers (2004), Collateral (2004), and Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (2008). She also reprised her role as Mama Joe in the television series based on the film.

Hall's performance in Soul Food earned her an NAACP Image Award for outstanding supporting actress in a motion picture. In 2004, she shared a Jury Prize at Cannes for The Ladykillers, in which she starred opposite Tom Hanks. She also received honors from the Chicago and Kansas City film critics associations for A Family Thing and was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame.

Courtesy photo

Irma P. Hall stayed connected to the Dallas arts and theater community throughout her life.

Hall remained connected to Dallas and its arts community her whole life, her family says. She co-founded the Dallas Minority Repertory Theatre in 1973. Her contributions are also remembered through the Irma P. Hall Black Theatre Awards, known as The Irmas, an annual celebration of performing and technical theater talent across Dallas-Fort Worth, founded in 2015.

Education remained another lifelong passion. Hall received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts and Education from Texas College in recognition of her work in the arts and education. At Inspiring Body of Christ Church in Dallas, where she was a longtime member and cherished Church Mother, she regularly visited the church's University of Dreams school to read to children and share her love of storytelling. She also participated in the church's theater ministry.

“Today, we celebrate the extraordinary life of a woman whose faith, wisdom and love touched so many," senior pastor Rickie G. Rush says in a statement. "Our beloved Church Mother, Irma P. Hall, has taken her final bow on the stage of life and stepped into eternity.”

Hall is survived by her only daughter, Irma Hall Crayton, who remembered her mother's influence as both an educator and a mentor.

“She started as a teacher in the classroom but ended up being a teacher to the world,” Crayton says. “My mom used to always say, ‘To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.’ And she was just that to many people.”

Funeral services and memorial arrangements will be announced at a later date.

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